10 things you need to know when you visit Australia (Continuation)

Assalamualaikum semua. So hari ni jom kita sambung balik topik smalam...

6. Check weather forecast tengok apa jenis pakaian nak pakai during the trip. Different states different kind of weather and humidity. Macam melbourne ni funny sikit sometimes you get 4 seasons in a day. Pagi sejuk sangat, time tengah hari tiba2 panas terik macam summer, lewat petang tiba2 hujan pulak. Memang unpredictable tapi boleh la check kat google's weather forecast tu. I would say it's 97% accurate la, it's quite reliable.

7. Yang ni slightly negative tp takde la parah sangat pun. Orang gila and homeless memang banyak kat melbourne. Kadang2 diorang naik tram ngan train suka cakap sorang2. Gelak sorang2. Marah sorang2. Just buat bodo je. Takyah risau sangat. Kalau tak comfortable, tukar tempat duduk. And also takyah la buat eye contact. haha. Tp so far I tak penah la nampak diorang kacau sesapa. Penah skali sorang tu saja nak borak2 merepek ngan orang lain. Just smile and main ngan fon aje kay!

8. If dekat retail stores, kalau cuba2 kasut tu jangan lupa letak balik tempat asalnya. Don't just leave them on the floor when you're done trying and expect other people to clean them up for you. I penah nampak two asian girls did this. I feel it's just very uncivilised la if you do that. Culture orang keje kat Aussie ni lain. Kalau kat Msia banyak orang anggap kuli boleh nak mengarah2 orang bawahan camtu je kan. Sini diorang respect each other equally so diorang takdenyer nak anggap "eh this is her job, she should do it" Memang that attitude is not accepted at all.

9. Kalau duduk sini one week i rasa boleh la beli sim card Aussie satu. Beli brand Amaysim (AU$5) and amik plan internet 1GB tu about ($10). Kira ni u boleh pakai as interactive map. Just google aje even nak naik tram sume ada no dia kat google map. Also senang you nak check out reviews restaurants pe sume. And you boleh la update instagram gambar2 family or kawan2 ke kan best you're still connected to your friends and family at home. Kalau datang in a group, boleh la sumerang chip in at least tak perlu pening2 nak tanya orang jalan sume.

10. Last but not least, kat sini kalau makan at public place like ikea, food court, or mcdonald ke just make sure lepas makan, buang sampah ke dalam trash bin and letak balik the trays kat tempat dia. Again ni memang dah jadi culture kat sini. And I rasa elok juga kalau kita implement that culture kat Msia gak. At least staff lain boleh focus on production kan.. bukan nak angkat tray orang. That's just my two cents la (＾▿＾)

So that's it guys, hopefully artikel ni sedikit sebanyak membantu expectations uolls bila datang sini. If you guys ada apa2 pertanyaan just hit me up kay? I'll be glad to help in shaa Allah. Till then, see you guys tomorrow!

ღ

Sarah

10 things you need to know when you visit Australia

Hello Assalamualaikum...How's your ramadhan so far? Harap-harap semua pun mudah-mudahan puasa. I heard from my MIL and bestie, depa cakap kat KL skarang tengah panas gila. Sabarlah ye kawan-kawan apa-apa pun just be grateful kita tak puasa teruk macam orang kat UK no. Depa posa sampai 19 jam! Sian depa no. Anyway, today I'd like to share with you guys some tips if you're visiting Australia. Things that you should expect and prepare yourself when you come here. So let's begin..

1. Orang Aussie ni actually one of the most polite people I've ever met. Judging from people in Melbourne la and in the city. X sure la kalau sebelah kampung tu macam mana kan. But generally orang2 sini respect each other equally dari orang kaya sangat lah berbudi bahasa dengan orang yang biasa2 saja. Especially those yang kerja bahagian customer service, semua pun dah jadi kebiasaan tanya how are you. So memang tiap2 kali anda masuk kedai or kat tempat cashier confirm staff akan tanya "hey how's it going?" So anda please jgn buat malu2 just reply balik good thanks and how about you. Ewah ni mcm tips nak belajar manners pulak kan. But its very basic cuz if you don't reply and just smile you'll still be considered rude. So don't forget to reply and ask them back! (>‿◠)✌

Jangan la plak tanya how you doin kat maskot diorang ni no

2. Buatlah list makanan-makanan dan ubat u nak bawak masuk ke dalam Australia. Kalau boleh, tangkap gambar each food and letak dalam smart phone. Kadang2 bila you dah tunjuk semua ni and declare awal2 diorang bagi u jalan keluar terus takyah masuk bilik declaration tu and buka beg sume bagai. Save time la sikit :)

3. Kalau anda ni kaki makan, cerewet nak makan sedap, jenis 'i prefer quality than quantity', boleh lah check out urbanspoon.com for restaurant reviews ikut budget yang anda nak. As for me, I makan bawak bekal or food court pun dah okay. Hubs i ni je yang cerewet lebih. Tp syok gak dapat orang cerewet sbb mmg dia asyik nak bwk pi makan sedap2 ajo. Dari dulu jenis tak makan japanese, la ni mesti pekena at least once a month. Tp tula duit habis kat makan je bosan la gak. Hehehe...

4. Lagi satu specialty Aussie ni chocolate dia memang sedapp nyee.. Quality dia mmg tak sama cam kat Msia (which is one of the reasons I put on weight :P) Beli lah chocolate murah, sedap dan byk choice kat kedai Big W ataupun Supermarket Aldi. They're cheaper there to compare with 7-11. U might find something at Target too, but not as cheap I'd reckon. Kalau pegi Asian groceries like Laguna Asian Groceries at QV, Swanston Street pun best. Banyak choice from Indonesia, Thailand, Jepun, Korea and Malaysia. Semua ada lah rencah, nasi, frozen stuffs, Takyah la bawak mcm2 sangat from KL. Laguna ni pun boleh tahan murah gak. This is when you should try out other country's food and snacks \ (•◡•) /

Yg ni memang favourite i lah. Boleh makan sekaligus epecially snickers tu. It's the bombdotcom!

5. Kalau anda tengah jalan-jalan kat tempat public area skali nampak couple tengah bergaduh tengah jerit2 marah ke hape... don't stare at them that obvious. Sebab confirm anda akan kena maki hamun kalau anda usyar lelama. Pernah terjadi kat saya.... tiga kali... hihi :*)

Oklah tajuk dia 10 things kan tapi i rasa besok pulak la i sambung lik. panjang sgt korang letih nak baca plak kan. bsk i sambung balik nanti jgn lupa datang balik k. Thanks guys!!

ღ

Sarah

Bazaar Ramadhan Malaysia Hall

Just now I finally went to Malaysia Hall at High Street, Prahran for the first time since I moved here. There are bazaars on every Saturday for the whole month of Ramadhan at the parking lot area.

Went there at 2.45pm and I think there were about 80 people at that time including vendors altogether.  I didn't take any photos inside cuz.. I don't know I just felt slightly embarrassed if I take out my camera and start snapping haha. But I did manage to take a picture of the building once I was done.

 And this is what I bought at the bazaar. I didn't get to plate it nicely and take a nice photo of it. By the time I was done reheating the food, it was time to break our fast.

 Chicken Nasi Kerabu. Very aromatic and fulfilling. 

 Also bought some keropok lekor.. amaze balls!

Razz had lamb beriyani with papadam. He was annoyed when I took this pic cuz he tak tahan wanted to eat already (---_---) !

Met few Melbourne Uni and RMIT students there who were also the organizers. Very nice people. It's nice to meet other Malaysians here once in a while. 

10 Things To Do in Melbourne

Melbourne is spoilt with variety of beautiful attractions, be it natural or man-made. It'd be impossible to not be overwhelmed by all the planning of your holiday itinerary. What can I see in a very limited time? How much will it cost and how do I get there, seem to be the questions that you keep asking yourself. Good thing there are plenty of surrounding destinations within easy reach of a day trip. To save you time and effort, here I list down my pick on 10 things to do in Melbourne.  

1. Take a day ride with Melbourne Visitor Shuttle

This shuttle operates around city circle daily every 30 minutes and there are 13 stops altogether. The driver will act as your tourist guide and tell you some interest facts about the building or landmarks the bus passes. You are in control of your own time and there's no need to follow the tour. Pretty straightforward and cheap too.

2. Great Ocean Road

Travelling to Great Ocean Road is by far the most memorable experience I've ever had since living in Melbourne. The scenic coastal views, the 12 apostles, killer surfbreaks and stunning piers are just the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. This trip is c.o.m.p.u.l.s.a.r.y

3.  Wildlife Park

Take a photo with kangaroos and koalas! It wouldn't be an Aussie trip if you don't see these cutest animals in this planet *after panda of course* You can drive or book a tour to either Healesville Sanctuary, Ballarat Wildlife park or the  Melbourne Zoo (easiest and nearest.)

4. Sovereign Hill, Ballarat

Get ready to rewind to the cowboy era. The setting, the ambience, the buildings are all set up to reflect the Melbourne's gold rush time in the 1850s. Gold diggers, guards, shop owners are all dressed in costumes and you would have fun exploring the shops, hotels, theatres, schools, factories and underground mining. Don't miss the gold melting show, it's one the best highlights.

5. Brighton beach 

Take stunning photos at the unique 82 Brighton bathing boxes and make it your Facebook profile picture and get all your contacts jealous. Aussie trip mission accomplished.  

6. Queen Victoria Market

Fruits, meats, organic, non-organic you can find all sort of things here. Buy souveniers for friends and family at affordable price. Don't forget to bargain. Oh, there's a churros stall you need to try at the end of the market. Pretty awesome.

7. Royal Botanic Gardens

Take a romantic walk along the beautiful garden, full of flowers, greeneries and beautiful lakes. If you visit Melbourne during spring season, this is the best place to go.

8. Mount Buller 

Best time to go during winter. The whole mountain is covered with beautiful white icy snow. Learn how to ski, have a cup of hot chocolate, snowboarding, you won't regret coming here. 

9. Phillip Island

Want to meet Happy Feet anyone? Book a tour and see these cute little penguins and you'll come back flapping your feet and you will find yourself singing while conversing with other people. True story.

10. Melbourne CBD 

Hundreds of shops from the big brands to local ones you can find everything by just walking around from block to block. Discover alleyways, drink Koko Black, take Instagram photos with the graffiti background, watch street performance, you can spend all day at the CBD and you will not get bored.

And that's it. Hope you find this list useful. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below.

♥

Have you been to Melbourne? How would you suggest to things to do in Melbourne?

Winter Red

I took this photo last Friday. Went to a nearby supermarket to get ready-made gravy as I cooked

lamb chops for dinner that night. 

Post this one at instagram

Jacket - Aliexpress, T-Shirt - Uniqlo

On the way to the supermarket I managed to get some vitamin D for 15 minutes. Sat on a bench and took off my jacket. Love the heat during winter.

So quiet and peaceful at 11am. Gazed at this beautiful building and thinking to myself what building was that. Very European-like and I can't help but to reminisced about my trip to Europe three years ago. One of the best times of my life.

*Checked google map today and found out it's a primary school. Those kids are so lucky to have such of a stunning school!*

That's the best part about living overseas I'd guess. You can just take a walk to the market and you'll enjoy seeing all these grass, trees, buildings and the sky as opposed to get into the car 

and go to a shopping mall because let's face it. It's hot and humid in KL. 

I would rather sit in an air-conditioned room than go to any parks.

Times like this I tell myself I should appreciate all the things I have. Even though we live in a small cramped studio apartment, but once we step outside, we're blessed 

with this beautiful nature around us. 

St Kilda is such a cool place :)

A Trip to Sovereign Hill, Ballarat

Hey guys!

I thought maybe today I'd like to share with you some photos of my trip to Ballarat last weekend. The journey took us about 1.5 hours by car and we spent half a day there. Right after that we went back to the town and checked into Oscars Hotel which we've booked earlier. We left the next day and visited DFO Essendon, the factory outlet. 

Anyway, just a brief intro about Sovereign Hill. It's an open air museum that takes you back in time and through the gold rush period. People are dressed in the costume of the era and serving in the shop, walking around and play music to bring back the ambience of the 1850s. I can't help but to feel impressed with all the buildings and history portrayed. You will learn so much about the difficulties by the miners and the struggle. You will also learn about how gold was made, the machinery used to create power and basically the life of people living at Sovereign Hill. 

Ballarat as a town is a nice place too. The old prominent buildings remind me of Europe. You can see the last few photos I post down below 

All in all, the trip was enjoyable and I would love to visit Ballarat again. Maybe the next one would be a day trip instead. 

1850's bowling

At Ballarat

Ballarat town

The Post Office

My Sovereign Hill, Ballarat Youtube Vlog

Spending The Weekend at Sovereign Hill

This is going to be bittersweet. Initially we plan to start trying to conceive during the trip. So it was kinda supposed to be special. But I've got to postpone it cuz I just had rubella immunisation injection last Monday. And I'm supposed to get another one next month. And I have to wait for another month till it's safe to get pregnant. So that means I have to wait until May. Sigh. This is when I feel so angry with myself. I should have done the pre-natal check up few months ago. I'm feeling slightly demotivated right now but I'm trying to fight it. This is one of the curveballs in life and I'm telling myself to be grateful with what I have. Hopefully I can get some calm and peace on this trip.

Keep Calm and Move On ^_^

Ichi Ni Izakaya, St Kilda, Melbourne

Last Sunday hubs and I wanted to eat out and try a different restaurant than our usual QV joint. We initially wanted to eat Thai but the restaurant that we wanted to go was close. Hence, the closest place that had good reviews was Ichi Ni Izakaya.

And like any other times, I will let hubs decide the menu for us cuz, he's better at choosing Japanese food than I am. So our meal starts with :-

Ebi Mayo 

Deep friend prawns in Japanese mayo mixed with a hint of wasabe 

Chicken Karaage

Hubs favourite

Yakitori Unagi

The highlight of the lunch!

Wagyu Yakitori

Tender charred beef once bitten melts inside your mouth

Sashimi Platter

The routine plate that we'd always have anywhere

Ichi Ni Roll

8 pieces with lobster topped with seared salmon sashimi and japanese mayo

Ichi Ni Izakaya

12 The Esplanade

St Kilda Vic 3182

Another note:

Don't forget to take a walk along The Esplanade to visit the market and watch them fly the kites from the bridge held every Sunday.

White Night Melbourne 2015 (photos and video)

Hey guys,

White Night event was awesome despite the humidity and hot weather. As expected, all prominent buildings were decorated with visual art light show and the street were filled with thousands of people of all ages. Hubs and I went out at 8pm and really enjoyed exploring the city by foot. Very rare we get to roam around freely on the road. 

And as promised, here are some photos I've captured. Scroll down to the end of this post to watch a video I made. Hope you like it!